I Once Dreamed of Fireflies
by hello mi yoo
Summary: When Kurama is no longer able to distinguish the difference between dream and reality a sacrifice must be made.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own nor claim to own any of the Yu Yu Hakusho characters used in this fanfiction. This is purely for entertainment purposes. Please do not discredit or redistribute without the authors prior knowledge or approval.

P.S this is only a Prologue, please bear with me as I recompose my writing style. It's been a while.

Chapter 1 (Prologue)

The light from the sun shined brightly onto Kurama's face. He lifted his hand up to shield his eyes from the intensity and chuckled.

"Is it too bright?" she said, separating his fingers away from his face. He peeked through his fingers and could see her brown eyes and sun kissed cheek between the black frame of his shadowed fingers.

He shook his head no. Now wearing a pair of sunglasses, he pocketed his hands and followed behind her skipping figure over to a single tree where a blue blanket with a small basket laid. He laid down on the blanket besides her. He rested his cheek against her bare shoulder and could smell vanilla and orange blossoms. He looked at her pink lips that were curved up into a smile. His cheek felt warm against her skin.

"What was that?" She asked, tapping the tip of his nose delicately with her finger.

He closed his eyes and shook his head again before rolling over to lay on his side. He felt upside down and opened his eyes, now looking up into a sky of bright stars ; each star twinkled brilliantly before the navy ocean. He could feel pressure against his chest causing him to frown. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't hear his own voice. He felt grass beneath the back of his head, the cool blades caressing the sides of his face.

"Kurama,"

He turned his head to the left and saw her fairly clearly for the first time through unfiltered lens. Her dark hair rested softly around her face and her bright eyes glistened from the light of the fireflies that hovered around them in the tall grass. They stared at each other through the blades of glass, their faces illuminated by the moon and soft yellow lights flickering around randomly like flakes of gold.

Kurama saw his hand reach out and move strands of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"I think it's time for you to go," she whispered, closing her eyes at the touch of his hand against her cheek.

Suddenly, a wave of black overcame his vision and orbs of yellow and orange star bursts floated across his eyes. The sound of birds chirping and laughter replaced the twinkling sound of the stars and the cool breeze of night was quickly warm against his skin.

"C'mon, Keiko, throw the ball here!"shouted Yusuke.

Kurama sorely opened his eyes, squinting most of the light from the sun away before adjusting to the brightness. He looked around him and recognized the park he was at and nodded his head in acceptance.

"That's right, fox. We're still here" said Hiei, leaning against the same tree Kurama was resting against. His arms were crossed.

"It appears we are." Kurama said, taking in a deep sigh in hopes the heavy feeling around his chest would expire with his breathing.

Hiei raised a brow and watched him from the corner of his eyes. "If your wish is an eternal sleep that's something I'm sure we can arrange."

Kurama smiled and stood up, dusting his jeans off.

"Hey!" shouted Kuwabara, running over with a childish look on his face. "Well, I hope you had a nice little nap there, Kurama! Are you ready to get back into the game?" He asked, tapping the volley ball he had cradled beneath his arm.

"I'm not really in the mood for games today. It's getting a little late, I'll probably just retire for the rest of the evening."

Kurwabara dropped his jaw and scratched his head, "What! It's not even close to being late!"

"You look like a baboon," interrupted Hiei.

"Well, you look like a deformed baby but you don't hear me saying anything about it." retorted Kuwabara, giving Hiei a very broad cold shoulder.

"Make another comment like that and I won't be hearing you say _anything_ , anymore."

"Now , now boys, today is a day of bonding" chimed in Botan, sporting a real casual look for their visit to the park. She jogged over from the game, Keiko and Yusuke trailing shortly behind her. "Let's save the threats for tomorrow when we meet Koenma." she smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

"Koenma!? Where - " started Yusuke, looking around from side to side.

Botan and Keiko laughed.

"He's not here, Yusuke." Botan reassured him.

Yusuke ran a hand through his hair, "Good! Today is a restful day, let's not mention the baby breath!" he snatched the ball out from between Kuwabara's side.

"Hey!" shouted Kuwabara.

Yusuke smoothly dodged his advances to get the ball back and they, except for Hiei, began to laugh together.

Kurama took this time to slip away by stepping behind the tree and carefully walking out of view, even when Yusuke called out after him he continued to walk away. He pocketed his hands again and strolled his way back home, passing by his favorite coffee shop and book store. The sun was beginning to set and the pink and amber sky painted his white rooms with their soft lights through the windows.

Quietly, Kurama prepared boiling water for a cup of tea. Waiting for the water, he sat in the kitchen silently, the only noise was the ticking of the kitchen clock, the flame from the stove and the water slowly picking up to a boil. He sat with hands on the table, looking at them folded within each other. It felt like an hour before he looked up from his hands to the sound of the teapot screeching for attention. He poured himself a cup in his favorite mug and made his way upstairs to his room.

He was taking a sip of the hot liquid as he entered his room, removing his house slippers at the same time .

He placed down the mug near his bedside and undressed then put on his white shirt and blue pajama bottoms before sitting on the edge of his bed. Kurama took another sip of his tea and grabbed the book that sat on his night stand. The bookmark showed him where he last left off and he quickly remembered the history of it's pages. He fitted himself comfortably into bed with a layer of blanket over his legs and a pillow to support his back as he reclined.

It wasn't long until his eyelids began to drop and he found himself fluttering his eyes to stay awake;

"Hard to sit here and be close to you," was the last thing he read before closing the book and sliding all the way down into the sheets, bringing the pillow down with him to rest behind his head. He laid down and stared up at the ceiling, fighting sleep out of habit of his insomniac like ways from the past.

Discomfort overcame his drowsiness as he shifted his legs from bending them to straightening them, bending the left, straightening it, bending the right, bending both. He flipped onto his right side then to his left. He felt warm. He contemplated going to the restroom then tossed back to the right, then to the left again and as his cheek grazed the satin cover of his pillow his nose touched the tip of hers.

Surprised, Kurama breathed in quickly and held his breath.

Her eyes were closed, and her face was rested. Her features were soft and youthful. She was sleeping peacefully besides him, her hands curled between the two. He could feel the knuckles on her right hand touching his chest.

The light bleeding into the room was gentle against the lining of her exposed neck. Heat rose to his cheeks as he carefully withdrew his arm, that he didn't realize was wrapped around her, and slowly removed himself from the bed.

Her brows furrowed and she shrugged her shoulders, her eyes slowly opening. She propped herself up with her arms but remained on her side, the sheets sliding down her shoulder and bunching around her delicate wrists. She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand and Kurama took a step back, watching her carefully.

"Kurama," she spoke, her voice shaky from sleep, "What's wrong, are you okay?" she continued, her eyes opening to look up at him. They shined with amusement and curiosity at his behavior.

He stared at her and felt his throat begin to tighten and his heart begin to ache. It was a similar feeling to the one he had earlier that day; the longer he looked at her the more it hurt. He clutched his chest and clenched his jaw against the pain then fell to his knees unwillingly.

Kurama felt the slow drip of liquid touch the corner of his lips and suddenly could feel his eyes sting. He used the back of his forearm to wipe away the tears clouding his vision and then looked down at his hands. Water began to fall onto the palm of his hands as he looked down at them. He let the water hit his hands as he looked back up at the girl, her face blurring from the tears and falling rain.

"I-" he gasped, "Who are you?" he forced out, his voice sounding foreign to his own ears. He questioned his own authenticity but remained determined to find an answer.

Her hands entered his field of vision and slowly came up to caress his face and cup it into both of her hands. She lifted his face until their eyes met but all he could see was bright light and the corner of her lips move as she spoke.

" _What?"_

Her lips moved but all he could hear was the rushing of leave and summer cicadas loudly buzzing in their nests.

" _I'm glad I met you_ "

Kurama opened his eyes into the cover of his damp hands, their clamminess sheltering his forehead, eyes, nose and mouth. He pulled his hands away from his face and wiped his wet hands against his shirt. He looked around his empty bed and stared into the sea of white sheets. His heart was beating quickly and it took him a moment to catch his breath as he analyzed his current state and tried to understand what had just happened. His sheets were damp with sweat and his pillowcase absorbed a significant amount of liquid as well. His book had fallen to the floor beside his bed. He reached for his mug and looked at the clock as he took a sip of his tea. He furrowed his brow but drank the cold liquid. The clock read a quarter past four in the morning. He placed the mug back down on his night stand.

He bent down and picked up the book; " _Tender is the Night"_ by Fitzgerald.

He slowly ran his thumb down the spine of the woman on the front cover while a drop of water splattered on the plastic cover. Kurama lifted his hands from the book and the droplet was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Please read disclaimer from Chapter 1.

Chapter 2.

••

The sound of summer breeze washed over Kurama and blew his hair across his face. He could feel himself smiling calmly as he looked down the hill.

She waved her arm at him from below the hill, her top knot bobbing with her excited movements. Her hands waved in the air and beckoned him down the hill into the tall grass where she stood in her white dress that flowed like wings behind her in the light summer air.

Kurama chuckled as he watched her grab the ends of her dress and spin around in a gleeful dance. She looked small within the field, small enough for him to hold between his arms and press against his chest that began to burst with feelings he only had when he could see her. He placed his hands in his pockets to stop himself from reaching out and watched her leap into the grass, the white wings of her dress diving and disappearing into the green and yellow sea and then reappearing seconds after like a dolphin skipping. She jumped up before him with a crystal prism between her thumb and four finger holding it high above them and into the cloudless sky that illuminated with a pastel magenta.

"Look," she said, the crystal painting a rainbow across the bridge or her nose and trailing onto Kurama's cheek. It drew a colorful line across his eye, through his forehead and disappeared into his hair. He knew the rainbow was reflecting onto both of them and even though she told him to look into the crystal he watched her face and admired the colors dancing across her cheeks as she rotated the prism between the both of them beneath the ray of the sun. Her face a perfect vision that he found thinking about even as the sky started to darken and tall grass begin to fade like a painting being dripped in oil.

Suddenly, a loud blaring noise interrupted his shameless staring and his eyes followed the turn of her head to the right where a train shot by through a tunnel. Kurama turned back to where she was but was found alone. Gone. He looked around the train station, the blaring sound echoed through the now filled halls of strangers passing by with their luggage and family members. He looked down and in his hand was the crystal, colorless and transparent in the palm of his hand.

Wait, no.

He tried to keep his eyes closed but the light began to bleed in.

"Asleep, again?" said Yusuke, grabbing his bag out from the cabin above Kurama's head.

Kurama briefly looked around, awakening from his nap. He ran his hands over his knees to comfort himself back to reality. "I suppose so," he answered, grabbing his bag and looping the strap over his shoulder.

His face grew impatient with the familiar emptiness that she left him with after his dreams. He didn't know of a reason as to why he was dreaming of this girl and couldn't think of any explanation but the emptiness that she left him with constantly made him wonder when it was the next time he would see her again, even if she was just an apparition of his dreams.

"You've been pretty tired lately," Yusuke said.

"Nothing more than usual, the trip was quite long" Kurama answered, "long enough to put Kuwabara in a decent sleep as well". He nodded his head to the aisle across where Kuwabara still sat, his head hung down between his knees, a line of drool almost reaching the floor.

Yusuke looked over to Kuwabara and smirked then returned his attention back to their conversation.

"I guess, I mean-" He rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably, unsure as to ask the right questions to the answers he was looking for. "If something is going on with ya, you let us know, okay?" His question was more of a demand with the particular inflection in his voice at the end and Kurama just acknowledged his statement with a small smile of his own and shuffled his way out from the tight space between the seats and headed off the train with the team.

Koenma's office looked smaller and more drab than usual. The walls were new with navy blue wallpaper and trimmed with gold at each corner and there were tall ivory pillars lining the left wall from where they entered. There were five pillars in total but only two had special artifacts in display boxes sitting on top of the ivory slabs.

"We're here!" chimed Botan, leading the group into Koenma's space, her loud entrance causing Koenma to look up from his paperwork.

"Ah! Welcome back!" Koenma said, his light blue binky tipping up and down with each word.

"So, what's the deal now, binky boy?" started Yusuke, his lips pursed out arrogantly. He crossed his arms as he looked around the new room, disinterested. This was the second time this summer that they have been called in to spend time within the Makai. Granted, it was because of his obligation to this realm but he couldn't help but feel impatient when he would rather be hanging out at the beach with his wife.

"No time for small chat, I see. Well then, good because I have a very important situation on my hands, Yusuke!" He said with a raised voice, his finger lifting higher as he tried to make a point with key words.

"I hope this one wont take too long this time, Koenma. Last time I almost missed my final and Kurama- " Yusuke socked Kuwabara in the shoulder playfully and gave him a side look.

"The faster he spits it out the quicker we're out of here, what's going on now? A damsel in distress? A missing person? The universe is going to shit again?"

Koenma's eyes narrowed, "No, nothing like that. I would go myself but my presence would be too much of a give away. We just need to acquaint ourselves with a new empire" He said, tilting his chin up.

"Does he mean our Empire?" she said.

Kurama turned around, startled to see the girl standing behind him, as clear as day staring at him quizzically with her bright brown eyes. She smiled.

Yusuke turned to her, "Great point, Botan".

Kurama furrowed his brows, he looked at Yusuke, back to the girl, Yusuke then to Botan. Botan stared back at him.

"Is there something on my face?" Botan said with a nervous chuckle as she watched Kurama's face return to normalcy. Botan touched her cheek gently and quietly looked at everyone else around her but concluded she was the only one to see the unfamiliarity that swept across Kurama's eyes when he looked at her.

"Yes. Great point." Kurama repeated, following Yusuke's lead.

"Yes, good point indeed, Botan. That is why I will be giving you these official seals so there is no question of your authenticity. You guys will be posing as royal merchants, on a trading expedition for selecting goods." continued Koenma.

"This hardly seems urgent." scoffed Hiei as he rolled his eyes. "If I'm not needed, I'm heading back."

"Wait!" Koenma said, reaching out his baby hand. " I'm not finished. Of course, there is a reward for your time and genuine benefit from this mission. You see, this empire has just recently seen high successes due to an ancient relic, which is what they are using to assert their authority over the eastern lands."

"Sounds like some sloppy demon politics, I don't see the risk in this yet" said Yusuke, crossing his arms, still not convinced of their involvement.

"We have no Intel on the actual relic that they are using yet and if they begin to get too greedy we need to ensure that we are prepared and understand it's strengths and weaknesses ." the baby answered, reclining back into his leather seat. "I already handed all of your traveling gear to Botan for your safe passage, failure isn't an option, bring me back as much information on the relic as possible."

"As exciting as this is, we didn't really discuss what this reward -" started Yusuke.

Koenma snapped his chubby fingers and Jorge rushed over to the edge of Koenma's desk and slammed on the blue emergency button.

"Hey!" shouted Kuwabara.

The floor beneath them suddenly parted like the opening flaps to a cardboard box.

Koenma waved goodbye with mischievous smile, his blue binky bobbing between his teeth as he chuckled, "Your reward is the security of the Makai!"

"No!" Yusuke shouted angrily as they fell down the trap door into the spinning portal below.

The portal spat them out one bye one, everyone steadily landing on their feet except for Kuwabara, eating purple dirt and Botan who landed, bottom first, onto his back. Kuwabara let out a heavy sigh.

Yusuke pulled out their communicator, his frustration showing in his rough movements. The blue compact showed nothing but white noise. In his frustration, Yusuke slammed the compact closed and placed back in his pocket, placing his hands on his hips and looking around the foreign environment.

"What the actual fuck, Koenma?"

"Now, now, Yusuke. This isn't much different from how we usually come into these things," Botan stated, fixing her dress.

"Where are we, anyway?" asked Kuwabara. He leaned into a shrub beside him, looking at the exotic flower. It's petals had bright purple stripes across it's deep navy blue base with an illuminating stem. "Everything here is so pretty," he continued, about to smell the plant.

Suddenly, he was pulled back from the bush by the gruff of his shirt, his thick collar band almost choking him.

"That's dangerous, one smell and it will place you in a deep sleep that you will be incapable of waking up from." said Kurama, releasing Kuwabara's shirt.

Kuwabara's eyes widened and he quickly added additional distance between himself and the bush.

"A great opportunity, missed" said Hiei, slowly trailing behind Yusuke.

"Well we're-" Botan lifted a finger to her head to try to recall the information Koenma provided to her before this excursion.

"In the most Eastern lands of the Makai, also known as Ko'glea. Currently, under the reign of Prime Minister Lee. Their castle is just a few miles north east. " Kurama looked around carefully at the exotic vegetation and open land, everything was vibrant with beautiful lush colors of blues and purples. The dirt itself was purple, the sky a soft pink that reflected wonderfully in the streams of calm water.

"Yes! Exactly!" agreed Botan, cheerfully. She skittered over to where Kurama was and smiled, " I didn't think you've ever been here before." she added.

Kurama looked ahead, "I haven't".

Together, they traveled North East until the castle was visible. Botan assigned them their badges, roles and props. Yusuke and Botan were assigned the royal merchant badges, the talkative roles; Yusuke being the lead. Koenma didn't necessarily think that Yusuke would be the best candidate for this but knew he wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut to be anything else. Hiei and Kurama were assigned as the royal merchants official guards and Kuwabara was assigned the royal chariot or in less glamorous scenarios, the mule. He was pretty upset but without anyone wiling to trade he had no other choice as it was the only badge left.

Upon arrival of the giant ivory structure, they were confronted with a massive black gate that pulsed with a venomous protective aura that opened it's entrance widely for the party to enter. As they walked onto the court yard they could feel the eyes of the Minister's guards, seizing them up as they walked through the domesticated vegetation, wide land and through the large double doors, heavy with marble and chunks of complementary gems.

The only sound that could be heard within the gigantic hall they were lead into were the sounds of their footsteps clacking against the porcelain floors that mirrored their universe and slowly as they approached, whispers were heard.

Prime Minister Lee sat on his throne with three guards standing before him at the foot of the mini-stairway and two advisers standing on the second to last step at the top below the Prime Minister.

Another man, dressed in clothing almost as well fitted and majestic and the Prime Minister himself was leaning in closely to the Prime Minister, listening while looking down at his hand that gently rested on the Highness' shoulder. His hair was dark and framed his strong facial features that complemented his slim frame. The man briefly looked up from the Highness' shoulder to see Yusuke and his gang waiting for their audience. His sharp eyes connected with Kurama's emerald ones and although Kuarma couldn't read what the man's eyes were trying to say, he felt a sense of hostility.

The man straightened himself and slowly strode down the steps and made off to another stairway to the right that lead above their meeting room and disappeared into a sealed room. Kurama watched his every movement. Immediately at the man's exit the Prime Minister reached an arm out elegantly and welcomed his guests.

"I've been expecting you," he said, his voice shaky with age.

"Thank you for having us," answered Botan. They all bowed simultaneously, albeit Kuwabara was a little late and not quite in sync but he managed to follow their lead.

"If my memory recalls, which it doesn't quite due well anymore," started the Prime Minister with a friendly old smile, "You're here to set up potential trades."

Yusuke nodded his head and gave his best sales man smile, "Yep! We'll take a look at what you have to offer, old man."

The Prime Minister's eyes widened and he appeared stunned. Botan gasped and nudged Yusuke in the side.

"I'm sorry, Prime Mi-" started Botan.

He held up his hand and smiled, his eyes squinting with amusement and chuckled a little.

"You're quite excited, I won't take up much of your time. Jakan here will take you over to our trade center and arrange your stay." He nodded his head over to one of the scholar looking men at the second to last step who hurriedly pulled up the clipboard he had at his side to the front of his chest and worked his way from behind the body guards to Botan's side. He bowed deeply to the Prime Minister.

"Yes, Prime Minister!" He said honorably with a cheeky smile.

"And Jakan, tell them about the ceremony, perhaps we can extend their stay past their vocation. It is important that our guests understand the culture from which they will be conducting business with."

"Oh, yes, sir!" answered Jakan, writing down notes on his clipboard.

Prime Minister Lee looked back over at his guests with a soft smile and nodded his head, "May our beautiful land offer you new and exciting material for your country." he said with an elegant bend of his neck.

"Thank you!" cheered Botan.

"Yes, yes, now follow me" said Jakan, pushing up his round glasses and hunching over slightly as he beckoned them over to the exit of the palace. As they were exiting, Kurama could hear whispers again and as the massive double doors began to collapse into each other behind him, through the slowly dissipating sliver, he could see the young man again, leaning into the Prime Minister and whispering.

". . . is still asleep . . "

The doors closed and covered his vision with white.


	3. Chapter 3

Please read disclaimer from Chapter 1.

I apologize for the delay, by the way. I haven't had a lot of time to write like I would have liked. :(

I also really appreciate the feedback and reviews I've received thus far. Thank you.

Chapter 3.

••

The sun was beginning to set, when Jakan was finally done showing them around the palace and fitted them into their rooms. The team rendezvoused to Yusuke's room to regroup and get some relief from Jakan's history lessons and overly complicated explanations for each item.

Yusuke face planted onto his bed, the soft cushion gently bouncing him back until he settled into the comfort of the chilled sheets.

"Is it over yet?" he asked, his voice muffled from the pillows.

Kuwabara let out a hearty laugh and placed his hands on his hips as he looked out into the pink skyline view from the open window.

"C'mon, it's not that bad, Urameshi. Look at this awesome view! Oh!" He jogged over to the small office space at the right side of the room. "They have those weird candies we tried earlier!" Kuwabra picked up a small round crystal like candy and popped it into his mouth. It melted onto his tongue.

"Yeah, and the ceremony actually sounds quite wonderful!" singed Botan cheerfully.

"Wonderful?" started Hiei. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door, preparing to exit. "I'm sure you fools did not miss the underlining meaning behind this tradition." He said.

Yusuke propped himself up off of the bed and looked over at Hiei, his face now straight with concern.

"I was actually wondering about that myself." Yusuke looked around the room and sat up at the edge of the bed, placing his forearms on his knees and leaning forward with a stern look on his face. "When Jakan mentioned a sacrifice, that doesn't necessarily mean a person, right?"

"No way, dude!" shouted Kuwabara. "The people here are way too nice and the Prime Minister Lee dude is pretty awesome too. I don't think that they would sacrifice a baby or anything like that."

Kurama stroked his chin and as he was observing the room, thought out loud, "Kuwabra is correct, we cannot assume that the sacrifice they make is even a living specimen. Not once during his ramblings did he mention that it would be a person or animal. If anything, he hinted that it is an object."

"Could it be the artifact?" asked Botan, her face worried.

"Possibly," answered Kurama, still exploring options silently in his head, albeit he was slightly distracted by the soft pink light slowly flooding the room. It reminded him of the way rainbow light danced beautiful colors across her face like freckles. He suddenly felt drowsy.

"I' know where to look" said Hiei, a small smile curling at the tip of his lips.

"That could potentially ruin our future relationship with this newly founded Empire. I don't - " Kurama started but was interrupted by Yusuke jumping up. It startled him slightly. Hiei glanced over.

"Yes! The sacrifice is probably in the one room Jakan said is forbidden for us to enter. Easy enough. If they wanted to hide it from us he shouldn't have said anything about the room at all. " Yusuke said, tightening the drawstrings on his merchant slacks.

"Now, wait a minute!" Botan sounded alarmed. "We cannot do anything to potentially ruin any future relationships with this place! Koenma had strict rules about the politics of this trip and - "

"Sloppy demon politics" Yusuke spat, "Hiei said to just take a peek, that doesn't mean that they have to know about it." he said with a snarky smile.

"They have been most forth coming with us thus far. We should at least speak to Jakan a final time before jumping into action, even if the conversations tend to be longer than necessary". Kurama said, the last part of his sentence trailing off into a quiet whisper.

"I agree with Kurama, we can't just destroy everything we got going for us. Everyone has been super cool so far." stated Kuwabara, eating another piece of the rock candy.

Yusuke lifted a brow to his bias but nodded his head in agreement, "Alright, no action for now but the moment I found out they are sacrificing a baby or something like that I'm going to stop it – even if it means it ruins the chances of this Willy Wonka Empire from getting a new Prime Minister for the next thousands of years."

"The value you have for one's culture is very respectable, Urameshi. Did you learn that in Ningenkai?" said Hiei, his smirk still present on his face.

"Listen, Hiei, I don't give a shit about _anyone's_ belief if it reduces the value of someone's life. I wont sacrifice anyone's life." he answered.

"Unless it's your own." he shot back.

Yusuke's cheeks went red and he marched over to the door and ushered everyone out of his room.

"Alright, alright, remember. Don't do anything until after we talk to Jakan. Then, we should regroup tonight to make sure we are all on the same page. Freshen up, gang." was the last thing Yusuke said before closing the door.

The remaining four all went their separate ways for some down time before having to meet again for the group dinner. Kuwabara and Botan were both content relaxing to themselves in their suites, enjoying the luxury the palace had to offer. Hiei simply disappeared and Kurama took the opportunity to explore the palace garden; he wanted to study some of the plants that he was not yet familiarized with and soon found himself sitting quite contently on a stone bench. He had his notepad resting on the top of his knee, one crossed over the other, the page full of new scribbles about the spectrum of exotic flowers he was not educated on.

For a beat, Kurama admired the beautiful variety of colors around him then closed his notepad and placed it in his pocket where he felt something hard. Curiously, he took his notepad back out and placed it beside him, along with a pen and a small crystal prism. Kurama took in a deep breath, unaware that he was even holding it and picked up the crystal prism and laid it in his hand. His heart began to beat quickly. He briefly glanced around, nothing had changed.

He was still sitting in the palace garden on the stone bench beside his notepad and pen. The crystal sat, it's corners reflected the light into a small rainbow in the palm of his hand. Kurama remembered the rainbow that painted itself across their faces, connecting them together. He pinched the prism between his thumb and forefinger as she had did and slowly raised it up to the setting sun and peered through. He could feel a slight warmth crossing his face as the crystal pressed light against his skin. He wondered what color it was and if he was able to make a rainbow. He followed the sun down with the crystal until the sun was barely a lump over the horizon line, bringing the crystal to eye level, all warmth evaporating with the colors but he still twisted the crystal between his fingers and gazed with curious eyes at the distorted garden through the frosted body.

As if they were his eyes, he now saw everything through cloudy eyes. Slowly, he left his perch at the stone bench and began to follow the garden path down into the more wild and less tamed locations outside of palace management.

Kurama casually strolled down the pathway, one hand in his pocket and the other holding the crystal over his eyes. The grass began to get thicker and taller as he explored deeper and further away from the center of the garden. The sun had completely disappeared behind the horizon now, the sky softly lit by it's final illumination and early rising stars. Then familiarly, golden lights started to make a small appearance around him.

Kurama smiled at the sight of the fireflies. He stood still, watching the fireflies through the crystal, slowly panning around him until he saw her, swinging beneath a tree, it's willow branches drooping over her like a fragile wire birdcage. It's branches swayed softly from side to side around her.

Although he could only see her back, he knew it was her. He spent many hours remembering every part of her body that his dreams would allow him to see. She sat on a bundle of tied willow branches, weaved together to make a swing. He watched her swing forward and backwards slowly, her crossed feet barely touching the floor to push herself back whenever it came to a standstill. He took a step forward and then stopped. Hesitantly, he contemplated what he would even say to her and whilst thinking about their imaginary intimacy, felt heat rise to his cheeks. He remembered how it felt to rest his cheek against her shoulder and remembered the way she smiled. He remembered the way her skin felt when he smoothed the strands of hair away from her face.

Kurama suddenly felt slightly embarrassed and lowered the crystal from his eyes to tilt his forehead down and rub his head in an attempt to try and get rid of the thoughts. When he felt that he could continue on as normal he looked up and she was gone. He looked around him and she was nowhere to be seen. There was a part of him that feared that this would happen. Just like all dreams, they eventually come to an end. He was only hoping that it might last and in his hope he raised the crystal again to his emerald eyes and she reappeared. Between himself and the tree, she lived in the crystal, sitting on the willow swing, swaying with the branches.

Curiously, he removed the crystal from his vision and again she vanished. He lifted it again and she reappeared. He planned on watching her a little longer to allow himself more time to think about how he should approach her. He didn't even know if he would be able to interact with her and in this situation, he discovered that he lacked his usual confidence.

He had no idea why he was able to see her and had many things he wanted to ask her but wondered if they were the right questions to get the right answers . Daily she had haunted him with her phantom in his dreams and although he had never imagined that he would be able to truly see her, he couldn't spend the rest of his life asleep, no matter how much he wanted to. And as much as he wanted to know why she was appearing before him he was even more interested to understand why she made him feel the way that she did.

Lost in the nape of her neck and his thoughts he stood there watching her in that moment where the fireflies sparked beautifully within the shadow of the depleated sun. Then, just as he took another step forward, finally prepared to confront her, she stopped swinging and looked over her shoulder. Her face was exactly as it was in his dreams and as he stood there, she smiled at him.

Kurama's heart began to beat quickly, all of the questions he had lined up to ask her vanishing and being whisked away with the soft night breeze. He was suddenly much more self aware than normal and out of an unwavering bashfulness lowered the crystal again from his vision.

"What are you doing" asked Hiei, now standing behind Kurama. His arms were crossed over his chest and his face was expressionless as usual.

"Nothing," he answered, putting the crystal in his pocket and turning away from the wilow tree in the distance.

"You must think I'm an idiot to give me an answer like that." Hiei said calmly. He then quietly walked over to his side but gazed out towards the willow tree.

"No," answered Kurama, "I just thought that you might accept it." he continued.

They remained silent for a while as darkness completely dawned upon them until Kurama spoke again.

"What do you know?" he asked.

"Only one thing,"

"That's already more than what I know,"

Hiei turned back to Kurama, a faint look of triumph weaseled its way to the corner of his lips.

"Her name is Aysu".

Juro flung his cape over his shoulder as he advanced down the empty hallway, his footsteps as quiet as the still of the night. He stood outside of the sealed door and adjusted his shirt then straightened his shoulders before degloving his slender hand and placing his palm on the gently illuminating sigil that contained the spell. He stared indifferently at his hand against the sigil until it slowly faded away and the door clicked to sound its unlock. Slowly, he opened the door and walked inside. The silouhette of a girl stood before a large panel of window, the stars and pale moon outlining her small frame against the navy blue sky.

He cleared his throat softly before approaching her from behind, careful not to startle her. Juro stood beside her against the cold window, staring down into the back fields below them in the distance.

"You're awake," he said, keeping his eyes trained below them.

She nodded her head.

"It's time to leave." Juro continued, turning his gaze to her. Juro turned to her slightly and stared at her profile, the moonlight tracing her soft edges. He reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear. In return she shook her head to loosen the strands of hair then turned from the window, resting her back against it.

"I'm not ready, I don't want to be awake."

"You're expected to be in a few days. We have prepared for this for months, the merchants are here and if we don't leave before they do -"

"Did you get to see them? Are any of them powerful?" she asked, suddenly.

Juro seemed to get offended. He furrowed his brows in contempt, "I did and they are not. You needn't anyone else for this but me." he answered, somewhat harshly as he rounded over to stand before her. He stood in closely to her, trapping her between the window and his chest as he leaned down to rest his forehead against her shoulder, his eyes closed.

"I always keep my promises," he continued, his voice lowering almost into a whisper.

"It's not a promise you made to me."

"Don't say that, Aysu."

She turned her head away from his, prompting him to open his eyes and lift his head from her shoulder. He took a step back, respectfully.

"Don't say that" he repeated, and watched her as she peeled away from the window and sat at her vanity. She looked at him through the reflection.

"I should be ready in two," she said, rubbing her face and searching through a drawer.

Juro remained silent for a while as he watched her rummage through the drawer. He watched her bring out a few feminine items and drop her hair brush. He glanced up at the clock before making his way to her door.

"Two and a half" he said before exiting the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Please read disclaimer for Chapter 1.

Sorry for the long delay there guys. I had a lot going on for a little while there. Anyway, thank you for all of the follows! I'm really impressed that others are taking an interest in this story. I'm trying to create more opportunities to really round out the characters and assign their roles as this drama unfolds and once again, please don't mind me as I try to find myself in my writing. I promise there will be a more developed style and continuity as the story progresses. Thank you :)

Chapter 4

••

"I heard it when the Prime Minister was talking to his main lackey," said Hiei with a smirk lifting at the corner of his lips. "Usually I don't care to remember these details but your curiosity has been rubbing off on me."

Kurama lifted his chin to the sky and watched as the yellow light from the fireflies speckled a layer of light before the navy blue sky. He placed a hand in his pocket, fondling the crystal between his fingers like a coin. "In that case, I'm glad. I don't suppose your curiosity was able to find out anything else other than her name."

"Hmph, I don't suppose you expect me to share this information for free, do you?"

Kurama stiffened for a moment and brought his gaze down to his friend before smiling and nodding his head. "Of course not. I presume that whatever the outcome is of this new adventure, it will be nothing but rewarding for you."

Hiei crossed his arms and smiled as they stood beside each other in a brief silence, "At the park, I was wondering how sleep came so easily to you lately ," started Hiei, he kept his arms folded as he spoke as his Jagan eye glowed lightly behind their bandages. "Who would of thought that all it took was a pretty face to lull a fox to sleep."

Kurama could feel a slow heat simmer on his cheeks but held back his embarrassment to understand fully, "That was the only time?" he asked with a straight voice although he wanted to simply turn around and walk away.

Hiei smiled playfully and contemplated his answer for a little bit before Kuwabara was shortly seen in the distance, jogging over to them in a bright shirt. He swatted the fireflies out of his way as he approached.

"Hey! There you guys are! You shouldn't be too far from the palace." He placed his hands on his hips and looked from Kurama to Hiei not getting any indication that he had interrupted a potentially awkward conversation,. "Dinner is about to be served, by the way" he gestured back to the building behind him with his thumb and grinned excitedly.

••••••

The gang sat down at a long table with interesting and new dishes before them. The exotic smells both piqued their interests and teased their stomachs.

Kuwabara impatiently waited for permission to eat but couldn't hold back his excitement.

"Oh! I wonder what that tastes like!" he exclaimed. He pointed to a small chicken like dish that had a thick blue sauce surrounding the edges of the poultry and bright green herbs sprinkled around it's rounded breast.

Botan leaned forward and curiously wondered about the dishes spread out before them as well. They engaged in frivolous conversation until the double doors to the dining room opened up widely and the Prime Minister entered with two stewards by his side, Jakan being one of them.

They watched quietly as the Prime Minister waited for his chair to be pulled before sitting down, his white gown and huge grown looked as if it was weighing down his old small body, with a gentle hump on his back he leaned forward and rested his elbows on the large wooden table.

"Thank you, for joining me for dinner tonight, lads," said the Prime Minister, his long slender fingers gestured towards everyone at the table.

"Thank you for having us," answered Botan for the team,

everyone nodded their head in agreement and mumbled their thanks among each other.

The Prime Minister intertwined his fingers together and rested his chin on his hands,

"Did you enjoy viewing our wares?" he asked whilst nodding his head to the servants.

Like a beautiful synchronized dance, servers placed each guest's dinner platter before them. Their presentation covered with a single sheer and light blue cloth that was quickly pulled away to reveal their marvelous dish.

Impressed noises came out of Kuwabara and Botan's mouths in a breathy sigh and a couple of claps.

"Yes, we did," said Yusuke, staring skeptically at the dish before him.

The Prime Minister smiled and delicately cut into his meal with a slow and precise cut from his dinner knife.

"And your impression for future trade?" he asked bluntly, biting the chunk of meat off of his fork.

There was a small moment of silence, unsure of how to answer as they were not ever really gauging their interest in the materials.

"Seems very likely!" answered Botan, her finger jumping to the side of her face like an imaginary light bulb. "Since this trip is so successful, I'm sure that our Lord would be most interested in continuing a trade with your wonderful empire!" she nodded her head as if she was trying to convince herself of the answer herself.

"Yeah, we aren't the decision makers," chimed in Yusuke.

"I see, well, if there is anything that I can do that would help make the decision easier," The Prime Minister nodded his head.

"There is, actually" started Yusuke, his brows straightening.

The Prime Minister held his blink for a few seconds as he nodded his head, expecting there to be some type of negotiating required to seal a deal. A master ruler, he was used to seeing the interests of both parties. He folded his skinny fingers into eachother and rested his small wrinkled chin on top of them with a gentle nod of his head.

"Of course, by all means,"

Botan held her composure but couldn't stop herself from feeling nervous. She would have preferred for them to talk this over before Yusuke opened his mouth but knew that whatever Yusuke would ask would probably feed some of her own curiosity as well.

Yusuke looked across the table at the hesitant faces of his friends, contemplating which question he should ask first and how to ask it. He turned to the Prime Minister who was waiting patiently for his response.

"Jakan mentioned that there is going to be a festival to celebrate the sacrificial ceremony tomorrow. I wanted to know more about that. Jakan never clarified - "

"Ah! The ceremony!" Exclaimed the Prime Minister, returning to his plate. "It's our most important tradition. It's our heritage and culture. I'm sure you heard many details from Jakan earlier today. He really does love educating people." He took another bite from his meal, chewing slowly then dabbing the corner of his mouth with a white napkin.

"Yes, he did but he never really specified exactly what is being _offered_ ".

Without skipping a bite from his meal, the Prime Minister answered Yusuke and reassured him of all of his deepest concerns.

"I can see, you have a genuine heart for the lives of others. Jakan tends to ramble in his lectures but never does he actually describe anything of importance". He gave Jakan a side look and Jakan immediately hid behind his clipboard, small bullets of sweat lining the sides of his face with embarrassment. He mumbled an apology under his breath.

"Allow me to clarify that the only _thing_ being offered is our most prized possession; the surrexerunt. It's the only way for us to maintain order here within the next age of my successor. "

"To maintain order?" inquired Kurama.

Jakan nodded his head vigorously, attempting to redeem himself, "Yes! The powers that the relic possesses will be transferred to the successor of the Prime Minister, as well as all previously absorbed relics which will prevent our wonderful land from decaying."

"I see, well – do you think that we could maybe, see this relic?" asked Yusuke.

For the first time since they met, the Prime Minister shook his head no but even then it was with a calmness that didn't completely disappoint or offend his guests. "My apologies, however, much like . You can most definitely enjoy the festival tomorrow but like our citizens, you must wait."

Yusuke stared at him skeptically. Botan smiled and nodded her head, "Of course, that's not a problem at all. Oh and thank you again, Prime Minister! This dinner is just so wonderful!"

"It's exactly why we have this tradition, our land is able to flourish because of our sacrifices and in return, we are protected and cared for." Jakan said proudly, lifting his chin.

"The vegetation, terrain, everything is very unique here." said the Prime Minister with a lengthy blink of his eyes and just at that moment one of the servers knelt down beside the Prime Minister and whispered into his ear to which the Prime Minister raised a hand and shook his head no. The servant was quickly dismissed and their dinner carried on.

••••••

Kurama laid down and rested his head against the soft pillow, he looked to the left on the night stand where a clock sat, it read: 1:26 AM. He stared at it for a while before laying completely on his back. The room, cool with the bright moonlight, gave him chills down his spine. He sunk deeper into the sheets, his eyes shutting out the light. He let out a sigh and ran his hands down his face as he focused on clearing his mind.

Sleep was never an easy process for Kurama but lately it swept over him like a calming breeze. He relaxed his body and slowly started to drift asleep and anticipated the contents of his dream like a child waiting to go home after a long day at school. There were still so many things that he had wished to ask her and although missed his chance earlier today, he was till awed by at least being given the opportunity. Although, tonight did feel slightly different to him, he tunneled on his desire to see her.

Not long into his slumber, he could hear his name being whispered beside him. The familiar voice caused no alarms and brought a comforting warmth.

"Kurama," she said,

He kept his eyes closed and wondered where she was but didn't open them until he felt a gentle hand rub his shoulder and conditionally he purred in response to her caress, the sound coming from his throat felt like a layer of smooth honey against his cheeks. He began to smile.

"Kurama," she said again, slightly more urgently this time.

He opened his eyes and turned towards her, she sat against the edge of his bed in a black hooded gown.

The expression on her face was one that he has not yet seen before but understood, it took him slightly by surprise but didn't change his normal approach to her. Kurama turned to her and slowly lifted his hand to caress her cheek, hoping to heal her of her worried eyes and tense structure. She cupped his hand with one of her own and rested her cheek into his hand before regretfully removing his hand and placing it back at his side on the bed.

"I'm leaving, Kurama. I don't have much time." she continued, still holding his hand down against his side.

"Is it almost morning?"

Aysu felt her cheeks lift into a smile then her brows furrowed slightly sympathetically.

"Yes, it's almost time for you to wake up. "

Kurama stretched his arms above his head then casually wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and resting his head beside her. He could smell her perfume of honey and soft vanilla through the natural cologne of the moonlit room. It was mysterious and intriguing. He breathed in deeply and smiled playfully when she squirmed until he released her.

"I can sleep through the morning if it means you'll still be here" he said, brushing his cheek against her side. He enjoyed the unusual sense of clarity of her and wanted to be in the field of tall grass with her again. He continued to think that it was only going to be a matter of time until their scenery changed. Visions of the sun kissing their skin together beneath a blue sky of whispy clouds penetrated his mind. He couldn't decide which one he liked the most. A picnic in the field of tall grass or perhaps they will jump into a chilled ocean that sparkled with glimmering stars from the sea against their skin, smoothing against the salty water. Instead, he remained in the bed, laying besides his comfort of escape and the smell of vanilla.

"No, Kurama. I need your help,"

Aysu lowered the hood from her head and Kurama sat up, his face becoming passive. He watched her grab his hand again and reveal the crystal that he didn't realize he was holding. Her hands were not the warmth that he remembered. Her cold skin shook him from his preoccupied disposition and slightly alerted him.

"Protect it, please." Aysu folded the crystal back into his hand then kissed his knuckles. She stood up to leave, her small frame outlined by the light of the moon that poured through the tall windows. The anxiety hurt her stomach as she stood up, her insides cramping with a painful pinch that caused her to grimace until it naturally relieved itself from the knots inside. She didn't know the next time she was going to see her red headed friend but knew that she was not capable of providing the answers he needed right now. It hurt her to leave this way and to shroud herself in so much mystery. If it was any other way, she thought. Aysu tried to leave with a smile but the cloudy future nearly made her cry. She pulled her hood back over and turned away quickly to hide her face, scared that it would be decorated with fresh tears.

Kurama admired her silhouette but as she began to leave he got up as well, slightly confuse. This isn't what he wanted. This isn't how his dreams are supposed to go.

"Wait," he extended an arm out, knocking over the clock on the nightstand. It fell with a loud crash.

He looked down at the broken clock, the glass frame cracked,: 2:00 AM.

Kurama's eyes widened with realization as he looked up from the clock to Aysu's quickly retreating form. The smooth honey that coated the inside of his mouth was now a heavy ball that tried to force its way down to his stomach. It was so hard to swallow he forgot to breath.

"..I'm not - " he stepped on some of the broken glass attempting to go after her but just as quickly as she had arrived she had gone and Yusuke was now standing at his door with Botan and Kuwabara.

"Is everything okay?!" asked Yusuke, panicked. His hair stuck up in the back in several different places. He entered the room, soft yellow light spilling in from the hallway door and into Kurama's moonlit room.

Kurama looked down at his feet, small speckles of his blood stained the broken clock's glass.

Kuwabara strutted in, his striped pajama pants making his legs look longer than usual, "False alarm everyone, pretty boy just knocked over a vase or something - " he walked over to Kurama and picked up some of the pieces of glass on the floor, "he knocked over the clock".

Kuwabara squatted and continued to pick up the rest of the broken glass, shaking his head from side to side casually.

"Were you having a nightmare or something?" Kuwabara joked, throwing away the glass shards he picked up.

Kurama dusted his feet off and assisted with cleaning the mess, "My apologies, I didn't mean to wake anyone, I was adjusting the clock and accidentally knocked it over."

Yusuke looked Kurama up and down then rubbed his eyes, the sleep no longer present but he hoped that he would be able to see what was really happening with his friend. Kurama looked startled, his regularly alert eyes were a green that Yusuke was not familiar with and his classic posture seemed to e slightly broken down. He acknowledged the awkward stance he had and took a seat at the edge of his bed to hide any other giveaways that might alert Yusuke.

"Alright, then," said Yusuke, making a nod of his chin to both Kuwabara and Kurama, "back to sleep, I guess."

Kuwabara scratched the back of his head and mumbled to himself as he exited with Yusuke and Botan, Yusuke made a final glance into the room before leaving, their voices fading in the distance.

Just as the trio retreated, Kurama immediately checked his pockets for the crystal but they were empty. He patted himself down and when it didn't turn up he lifted the sheets from his bed and shook them onto the mattress until a soft padded sound hit. He tossed the sheets onto the floor and there on his bed was the small prism, it's body more clear than he remembered. A small sigh of relief left his lips as he picked up the crystal to examine.

The edges were round and smooth to the touch and although there was minimal light hitting it's foundation, it gleamed against the palm of his hand like a precious gem. He squeezed it in his hand possessively until his knuckles went pale.


End file.
